Author's Note
This fic is a Wolf Eternal rewrite / Prequel - I know, I know, don't kill me!
However there is a good reason as to why I'm rewriting this series, feeling the entire lot was lacking in parts that were actually rather important for the plot that I've devised.
The main thing I want to try an incorporate is more of the Harry Potter side of Rieka's life - and the entire universe in general (given that it won't appear again). More so as this series does play upon the parallel universes/worlds and some of those people will be reappearing throughout the series. In doing this, however, it does mean that I am introducing a few new characters, as well as removing/replacing some of the old ones. The plot will still stay the same, although some things may come about rather differently and some things won't be changed at all, but I do hope to include a few surprises - and right off the bat with this little treat, mind you! - to make up for not only the rewrite of this series, but also for the delay on any updates on all my fics.
This won't be the only series that will be reworked, seeing as though ideas and thoughts upon some of them may/have changed since I have started writing them.
Oh! And just one last thing.
Anything recognisable within this fic (as well as the rest of the series and spin-offs - look out for the ORIGINS 'mini series') are not mine and have been sourced from various locations. Please do note that this means that whatever 'facts' that may be found within this series are expected to be taken at face value - it's fanfiction, people...
Along with this, the multiple fandoms included in this series (and at the moment I've got the count at four or five, depending on an idea I'm playing with) may have been rearranged and changed accordingly to fit within the plot I have devised. I will try and keep what I do borrow befitting the fandoms that they come from and try and follow the main storylines as much as possible. But unfortunately with the many twists and turns included within this series, things/people/places/universes may have changed or completely differ from each fandom in question.
Anyways...
Hope you enjoy!
LOCATION:
Universe A-583
Tarlain'Darnesk (Plane of Mortal Men): the Milky Way Galaxy
The Arityriss - in orbit of the Class Five Restricted Planet: SR/C-53/O3-O2 (otherwise known as Earth)
Captain's Quarters
Date:
Unknown
It was the only thing that could be heard over the rhythmic, continuous ticking of an antique grandfather clock; the low hum of electricity that was being produced by a rather crude set-up of cords and wires that were rigged up to the ancient timepieces' pendulum as it swung from side-to-side within its oaken casing. And attached to this makeshift, handmade contraption, at the end of all those wires and cords that crisscrossed over the steel flooring like a messy nest of snake hatchlings was a small flickering globe; nothing more than that of a minuscule beacon of light blinking within a vast sea of darkness.
But flicker this globe did, managing to provide not only a source of light within the otherwise dark office-like room despite its obscene makeup, but also managing to cast a shadows shadow within that very darkness and silhouetting a young girl who couldn't have been older than fifteen, and of whom sat silently at the desk near the rooms' centre; yellow-brown eyes all but glowing and unblinking as she studied a vial of dark green, almost black liquid in her hand.
- - - -
"No More."
- - - -
She should have been frightened.
Even felt the tiniest bit scared, she guessed.
- - - -
"That's the title.
- - - -
However, as the teen sat there in the dark, counting down the seconds with each passing tick and tock of the grandfather clock, and every blink and glimmer of the light that it was creating; sitting in the obscurity that had felt more like home than anywhere else she'd known as both it and a dark mask that covered the lower half of her face continued to hide the grim expression that marred her otherwise scarred features, the girl blinked as a sudden understanding of what needed to be done hit her.
- - - -
"I know the title!"
- - - -
It was truly the only thing that made any sense.
- - - -
"Also known as Arkon's Fall..."
- - - -
Though, she found that many thing made far more sense now that she had the chance to think about them.
- - - -
"This painting shouldn't exist; not here, in this time or place."
"Ob-viously."
- - - -
But despite her sudden epiphany, pale lips curled downwards underneath her mask as her mind continued to torture her with a memory's memory; a 'slice' or 'scar' of a time and place when everything had gone oh so terribly wrong.
- - - -
"OI! This was said to show the fall of Magick itself!"
"But how is it doing that? How is that possible? Even the paintings you do are nothing like this. It's like an oil painting... but, like, a gif."
- - - -
Of a place when she hadn't even had the faintest of light within her universe of absolute darkness.
- - - -
"It's Time Lord Science mixed with Arkentorian Magick. Bigger and far more... 'detailed' on the inside. Basically a slice of real time - a
memory if you will, taken from someone and immortalised for all to see on a never-ending loop."
Arao couldn't help but feel uneasy and disturbed at seeing what had been presented to him, the pain and memories that flooded both his mind and body as he continued to stare transfixed at the scene - the destruction that was framed like some prized painting just waiting for the perfect place to be hung.
How these humans had even managed to get their hands on such a thing in the first place was but one of many questions burning upon the dark-haired Time Lord's tongue. But he knew that to ask such a thing would be nothing more than a waste of both his time and theirs - and sadly (for them at least) human lifespans were nothing more than a blink of the eye compared to the lifespan of one of his kind.
The only thing he could be thankful for was that the young man - Lukus? - had seen fit to continue to uphold wishes of whoever owned the artwork and stopped it from being displayed as such. But the sudden thought of whom own the painting had Arao's attention - and eyes - tearing back to the young man in question; a dark brow raising questionably upon his forehead.
There were only a few people of whom he could think of that would have access to not only the Crown, but the Black Archives and his personal 'vaults' as well. And all were long dead as far as he knew, given that it had been him who'd disposed of each and every one of them.
"Doctor Smith told us where to find it... and the significance of showing it to you if we were to hear that anything had happen to him," Luke? Luka? Ah, whoever the young man was replied to his unasked question, barely looking away from the painting as he did so. And his response did nothing to quell the unease that continued to churn in Arao's gut, the man's hand instinctively seeking out its twins' the moment he'd learnt of who'd owned the painting.
Not now, you decrepit arsehole. Not after I just got her back!
"You okay?" Sa'hei asked as she accepted his move without question, stepping back beside him to cover their hands from view as she made out to nudge his shoulder. And despite knowing that he had her complete and unwavering support, Arao still found his voice barely audible; trembling with an emotion he was unwilling to name as he replied.
"She was there."
"Who was?"
His sister blinked, unsure as to what - or who he was talking of.
"The Vaclaern."
He didn't even need his mind to register his hand had tightened unconsciously around Sa'hei's as he admitted something he'd never once voiced aloud.
He didn't even have to look to know the expression that was on her face as she squeezed the limb right back.
"The other me. The one I never speak of."
"But, I don't understand Arao," Sa'hei stated just as quietly, her brows furrowing as she turned her gaze back to the painting. "I thought you said that it was just you and your father that day. Well, and Him too. But I've always considered Aridre more of a dog than a man."
"I've had many faces, Sa'hei," Arao continued, ignoring her joke. He let her hand go, slipping it from her grasp as he moved closer to the painting; his steel-blue eyes roaming over every inch of its surface as the scene it displayed played over and over again on a never-ending loop. "Many lives," he added almost breathlessly, reaching out with a hand unconsciously to trace around the ancient stone barn as if in a trance before jerking the limb away as the moment he touched the painted surface, the barn exploded once more before the loop restarted and it was standing undamaged within the petrified forest.
Shaking his head and ignoring the pain in his hearts at what he truly knew to have happened that day, Arao let his hand fall back to his side. And as he turned back to face his sister and Luka, whatever emotions that had been playing about upon his face were gone as he finished seriously, "And I do not admit to all of them. But there has always been one - one life you could say - that I've tried so ridiculously hard to forget even existed."
- - - -
"No More."
- - - -
"She was the one who escaped the Kreed at the end of the Eternal Wars, and that was the day she did it - the day I did it. The day we destroyed them all. The day we brought about Jorurden and the end to everything," he continued, blue eyes once again drawn to the painting as the loop restarted.
"A woman - nothing more than a girl. Someone who had far more blood on their hands than anyone in that infernal war. And of whom would commit a crime that would bring about the end of a universe. And that someone... was me."
- - - -
"No more."
One, two, three, four, five - turn.
"No more."
One, two, three, four, five - turn.
"No more."
Like a pacing lion in a zoo, a raven-haired male stalked the length of the small cell; one that had been home for far longer than he would have liked to remember as he muttered those same two words, turning on his heel and headed back in the other direction the moment he'd come within a hairs breath from walking straight into the wall and doing the same thing after the next five steps had been methodically taken to its opposite.
"No more."
Eyes, twin orbs that were akin to two raging seas sat sunken within a scarred, thin face flickered to the 'bars' of their hosts' cell as the young man suddenly came to a stop; his gaze burning into the energy field that kept him contained within the confining quarters with a fury that only grew with every passing second he was forced to remain. And when those same eyes changed; blue-steel first turning orange, then red, brown, and then black as a darkness that was beyond dark stole away what light resided within his gaze as his anger suddenly spiked, Arao suddenly let out a hiss of pain and was all but forced to his knees as a bright blue light flared from the marked that branded the side of his neck; the suppression band that had been fused to his very magick activating the moment said powers had tried to come forth in his rage.
No. More!
The young man could do nothing but breath in and out heavily, panting as the pain ebbed away before he slowly managed to get back to his feet. And leaning against the wall for support, not trusting in his own strength just yet, Arao couldn't stop himself from envisioning as to exactly what he would do the moment he was free from the chains that continued to keep him locked away within the very bowls of the Kreeds' dungeons. He knew that they could not keep him locked up forever and vowed that the moment he was free, the entire Council would pay for what they'd done.
His inner beast all but purred at the thought of all the destruction they would create. And his continued musings had a dark smile twisting his pale, cracked lips.
Soon, he thought, soothing his beast and tempering his anger with a patience he'd been all but forced to learn. Soon they will all learn of the mistake they've made. And no more will we remain chained to their whims.
However, when the sound of multiple feet hitting the stone floor of the corridor outside of his prison cell reached his ears and the smirk disappeared from his face; replaced with that of an intrigued frown, Arao pushed himself away from the wall so he could stand without support; unwilling to show any sign of weakness in front of his jailors.
Though the man found that he was confused, knowing that despite the lack of sunlight that reached his cell, it had been weeks - months? - since he'd last seen another soul. And that poor sods job and only to make certain that the Kreeds prisoner hadn't gone and offed himself.
Not that the Time Lord would.
As the steps grew closer however, Arao counting at least nine pairs heading his way, he cracked his neck, feeling his spine realign with a serious of pops before he stepped into the centre of his cell - of which really was nothing more than a white room that had faded grey over time with nothing but a cot and bucket thrown in the corner. And he raised an eyebrow as the nine figures belonging to the footsteps came into his field of vision, watching silently as they came to a stop on the other side of the forcefield and immediately taking note that two looked to be holding some kind of specialised restraints.
Well... talk about perfect timing.
That dark, twisted smile begun to return to his lips.
"Iml, proavie," he drawled sarcastically, the language chosen being that of the Arkentors very own - and caused at least four of the nine guards to stiffen at his selection. "Alix... joaraplikor," he added as his smile grew at seeing their reaction.
"Skiz xivur venar greeb elto kreer niar xieru," one of the guards ordered - the leader of the group if the Crest of Raqurovar Obkeor that was emblazed upon his robes was anything to go by.
The Time Lord did not move an inch.
"Skiz xivur venar greeb elto kreer niar xieru!" the leader repeated, this time with far more force.
"Tam," Arao denied with a shake of his head. Adding, "Va jomt'I niavao Va xivur," as he folded his arms rather arrogantly across his chest.
Without warning however, he was suddenly hit with four different spells and forced back to his knees. His arms were ripped from their position across his chest and forced harshly behind his back at the same time his head was jerked downwards and he was made to face the floor. He found his whole body to be frozen, unable to move a muscle. And as he heard the guards lowering the energy-field before stepping into the small cell, a low growl that was no more than a soft rumble within his chest was all the protest he could manage.
The position he'd been forced into was nothing but the ultimate sign of submission, they all knew it. And when one of the guards stepped behind Arao to place one of the restraints over his wrists and hands, the metal 'cuffs' being placed to cover both entirely, did he begin to struggle - to break free from the magic that he could feel coursing through them; feeling that his back - his neck! - was far too exposed to men such as these.
But the moment he showed signs of success, a fist tightening as the cuffs were sealed around his wrists and his head managing to raise, Arao found his head snapping to the right; blood appearing on his now-split lip as another guard had the audacity to backhand him across the face.
As pain radiated momentarily through his lip and face, cancelling out everything for but the barest of seconds, the raven-haired Time Lord managed to turn his head back so that he could meet the eyes of the man who had dared to strike him.
A brow rose upon his forehead, a smile so dark and promising twisted his lips as his tongue darted out to investigate what damage had been done to his person. And what he found only had his smile growing.
"Pran alva kyrenkevarj! Warvebuk!" the leader called the moment there was a flare of power erupting from his prisoner; the Time Lord's very own blood providing enough of the potent ingredient for one of the darkest forms of magick any Arkentor knew of and using it to weaken the spells that restricted him.
However, it was not even seconds later when Arao felt his attempt faltering as his ankles were cuffed by the second guard, another layer of restraining magick washing over his already exhausted and beaten form. The Time Lord could feel the magick that ran through the restrains, sensing that it was there - but just out of his reach. And before he could even figure out a way to get to it; to use it and bend it to his will, he found himself distracted as the leader stepped into his line of sight.
There was an unnerving smile upon the guard's lips; one that had the Time Lord's twins hearts racing within the confides of his chest. And the moment he caught sight of the item the man pulled out from his robes, the strange mask that was made to wrap around the lower half of ones face did Arao feel true fear pool within his stomach; the sight of the Vaklarurn within the leader's hand causing the young man to truly begin to struggle as a renewed earnest to escape filled him; unwilling to be placed completely at the Kreeds' mercy.
A snarl passed his lips, that darkness once more stealing the colour away from his steel-blue eyes - but everything suddenly went black for the Kreeds' prisoner when he was unexpectedly hit from behind.